Sep 22, 2008 11:03 pm US/Central
More Officer Actions Monitored By Small Cameras
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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The newest cop camera is attached to officers themselves. It is the size of a pager and designed so police can wear it on their shirts or belts.
CBS
Gun, badge ... and a camera? More and more, police officers are carrying cameras. At the recent Republican National Convention in St. Paul, officers assigned to mobile field teams brought along cameras to record their actions and how they responded to protesters.
The cameras were also used to document illegal activities officers witnessed on the streets during the four-day event.
Cameras like the ones used at the RNC have become a common tool in law enforcement. Some officers already carry Tasers with cameras mounted on them. As soon as the Taser is turned on, the cameras start rolling, recording audio and video of the encounter between the officer and person about to be Tasered. (Even if the person doesn't end up getting a jolt from stun gun, the event is recorded.)
Dash cams were installed in the majority of Minneapolis police squad cars more than four years ago. Police officials say they cameras benefits police and the community.
"I think it adds safety for the community and accountability for the police department and community as well," said Minneapolis Deputy Police Chief Scott Gerlicher.
The newest cop camera is attached to officers themselves. It is the size of a pager and designed so police can wear it on their shirts or belts.
The
VIEVU camera was invented by a former Seattle police officer. It can store hours of video before it's loaded into a computer.
"An individual officer that will be using this on an every day basis doesn't have the ability to edit, add or whatever, any of the digital information contained on the unit," said Chad Morrow, the marketing director at Streicher's Law Enforcement Supplies Store in Plymouth, Minn.
Streicher's store ordered a bunch of the cameras several months ago. They haven't sold any here yet but have loaned out VIEVU cameras to several local departments to try out.
"Any time you have video it makes things a lot more objective because you are not necessarily listening to as much 'he said, she said,'" said Gerlicher.
Guns could be the next tool to carry a camera. New York public safety officials are pushing a pilot project to put digital cameras on officers' handguns. They hope the video will provide answers after controversial shootings.
Charles Samuelson, the head of the Minnesota office of the American Civil Liberties Union, says he can see both pros and cons with the growing trend of cops and cameras.
"We have always assumed as Americans that we're free, that we are not under surveillance. This is a surveillance society tool and it records everything which will be downloaded to a central location, "said Samuelson.
The manufacturers of VIEVU say they are being used or tested in 40 states. Late last week,
Seattle police suspended the use of them after complaints from the police union.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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